


Scarlet Storm: A Mi-na/Yun-seong manifesto

by chacusha



Category: Soul Calibur
Genre: F/M, Meta, Ship Manifesto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 06:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23846521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chacusha/pseuds/chacusha
Summary: In which I expound at length on the untapped shipping possibilities of the Mi-na/Yun-seong pairing in an attempt to get other people to ship this oddly rare pair.
Relationships: Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5
Collections: Meta Manifesto 2020 Fest





	1. Canon Primer

### Introduction

This is a ship manifesto dedicated to a pairing I've been into for something like 15 years: Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na from the Soulcalibur series.

#### Contents

Chapter 1 - Canon Primer (what is Soulcalibur)  
Chapter 2 - Character Bios and Core Dynamic (who are Mi-na and Yun-seong)  
Chapter 3 - Canon Interactions (evidence for the pairing / key interactions)  
Chapter 4 - The Case for Shipping (my interpretation of and argument for the pairing)  
Chapter 5 - Notable Fanworks (YunMina fanworks)

### Canon Primer

_Soulcalibur_ (or _Soul Calibur_ ) is a fighting game series made by Namco (now Bandai Namco). The game series is set in an alternate version of the late 16th century, spanning geographically from Elizabethan England in the West to Japan at the close of the Sengoku period in the East, and all the places in between. However, there are many non-historical fantastical elements thrown in, such as golems created by evil cults, undead pirates, and demon-sealing ninjas. Imagine early modern Europe but if it was, like, Really Anime Though, and you get _Soulcalibur_.

The games center around two swords: Soul Edge, a legendary sword of great power that has over the years absorbed so much evil energy that it's become demonic, and its antagonistic counterpart, Soulcalibur.[1]

**Note on game timeline:**  
\- _Soul Edge/Soul Blade_ (1995) takes place in 1583.  
\- _Soulcalibur_ (1998) takes place three years later in 1586.  
\- _Soulcalibur II_ (2002) take place four years after that in 1590.  
\- _Soulcalibur III_ (2005) and _IV_ (2008) take place in the same year, largely not advancing the timeline much and only incrementally adding new elements.  
\- _Soulcalibur V_ (2012) takes the opposite tack of the previous two games and advances the storyline 17 years to year 1607. While this was quite a bold choice, the game remains controversial due to its unfinished story, its replacing of various fan-favorite characters with younger (less mature) next-gen characters, and the way it resolved certain characters' stories.  
\- _Soulcalibur VI_ (2018) is a reboot of the game series, telling various characters' stories spanning the original timeline (1583 to 1590).

The first game in the series is (a bit confusingly) _Soul Edge_ (1995) in Japan ( _Soul Blade_ outside Japan). Afterward, the next games are _Soulcalibur_ (1998), _Soulcalibur II_ (2002), and so on until the most recent game _Soulcalibur VI_ (2018). Also a bit confusingly, Soul Edge is the more central of the two swords in the games as it is the source of most of the conflict and drama (being an evil demonic sword that multiple people want to obtain), but the series is named after Soulcalibur (possibly due to [trademark issues involving the name "Soul Edge"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Edge#Development_and_release)).

_Soulcalibur_ is an arcade fighting game series, so there are a bunch of characters to choose from, each from a different part of the world, with their own backstory, fighting style, and goals related to one of the two swords. While the story is often fairly short/limited -- typical for a fighting game -- _Soulcalibur_ nevertheless packs a lot of lore and worldbuilding in its in-game character bio and stage write-ups and other supplementary information.

While the games are an ensemble cast with no clear main characters, the most story-relevant characters are:

  * Siegfried Schtauffen: a somewhat mentally unstable knight who becomes possessed by Soul Edge and becomes Nightmare, the wielder of Soul Edge for most of the games in the series
  * Sophitia Alexandra: a warrior chosen by Hephaestus to destroy Soul Edge, which she is partially able to do. However, in so doing, she and her children become tainted with its evil energy in a way that causes the fate of her daughter Pyrrha to become entwined with the continued existence of Soul Edge.
  * Kilik, Chai Xianghua, and Maxi: the protagonist trio of _Soulcalibur_ who Journey to the West from China to destroy Soul Edge (again), which doesn't quite succeed (again). But Soulcalibur makes its first appearance in the series as Xianghua's sword.



Unfortunately, the two characters I'm interested in for this manifesto, Seong Mi-na and Hong Yun-seong, have never been particularly core/central to the main story, despite appearing in most of the games.

If you want to get into the series generally, the most recent game, _Soulcalibur VI_ is actually a fairly good place to start as it's easy to get one's hands on and it's a retelling of various events of the _Soulcalibur_ series as a whole, with focus on the events of _Soulcalibur_. However, if you're interested in the Mi-na/Yun-seong pairing, it is not really a good place to start as Yun-seong is not a playable character and is only briefly mentioned in dialogue. A better place to start might be the recent _Soulcalibur II HD_ re-release, which is the game that first introduces Yun-seong.

HOWEVER, you don't actually need to play a game in order to understand these two characters. _Soulcalibur_ is a fighting game series that is extremely light on story material/dialogue, so it's pretty easy to get caught up on all the relevant material by just perusing the short, one- to two-minute videos and write-ups provided in this manifesto or on the fan wiki. This essay introduces all the relevant material and provides YouTube links to cutscenes from key games where Mi-na and Yun-seong interact ( _Soulcalibur II-IV_ ), giving you a fairly complete understanding of the pairing.

#### Soulcalibur informational resources accessible online

While this manifesto includes material related to Seong Mi-na and Hong Yun-seong, if you're interested in the larger _Soulcalibur_ universe they're embedded in and don't have easy access to a game, here are some good resources:

  * Soul Archive: The team behind the _Soulcalibur_ series (Project Soul) maintains a website archiving materials and information for the older games of the series. The website for [Soul Edge, Soulcalibur, and Soulcalibur II](http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/archives.htm) is Japanese only, unfortunately, but can be browsed through Google Translate or just perused for the pretty pictures. However, the website for [Soulcalibur III](http://www.soularchive.jp/SC3/index.htm) is a full backup of that game's Flash website _including the English version_ so I recommend you start there! The website includes full character bios, 360° views of and information about the stages, downloadable wallpapers, interviews with the creators -- all that juicy stuff I always loved obsessively perusing before a game even came out. 

There are also backup sites for [Soulcalibur IV](http://www.soularchive.jp/SC4/) (JP only) and for [Soulcalibur Legends](http://www.soularchive.jp/SCL/) and [Soulcalibur V](http://www.soularchive.jp/SC5/) (JP only and also not relevant to this manifesto).

  * [The Soulcalibur Wiki](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/): This fan wiki is really comprehensive and useful for navigating this game series spanning 10+ games at this point. Having used it to prepare this manifesto, I will say that one of the frustrations in using it is that it doesn't clearly cite sources of information or indicate whether text has been more or less copied word-for-word from a game or whether it was summarized/interpreted by a user. Nevertheless, it is an invaluable resource!



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] A note about the name "Soulcalibur": the name of this sword appears to me to be derived from "Excalibur" with "Soul-" replacing "Ex-". Hence why it is written (somewhat awkwardly) as Soulcalibur. People often read it as two words (Soul Calibur), especially since its counterpart is named "Soul Edge," and it often gets styled in a way to set the "Soul" off from the "Calibur" (for example, in [logos](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/File:Soulcalibur_logo.jpg) [where the "C"](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/File:Soulcalibur2logo.jpg) [is clearly](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/File:Soul_Calibur_Logo_qjpreviewth.jpg) [capitalized](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/File:SoulcaliburV.png)). Because "calibur" isn't a word, though, people sometimes write it as "Soul Caliber," which is incorrect. In any case, the name of this eponymous sword remains Soulcalibur.


	2. Character Bios and Core Dynamic

### Character Bios

|  **Seong Mi-na**  
Age: 23 [Soulcalibur II-IV]  
Birthplace: Jirisan, Korea  
Height: 5'4"  
Weight: 106 lbs.  
Birth Date: November 3  
Blood Type: A  
Weapon: Zanbatou  
Weapon Name: Scarlet Thunder  
Discipline: Seong Style Longsword + Ling-Sheng Su Style Rod  
Family: Father / Seong Han-myeong  
Mother / Taken by sickness  
Brother / Taken by sickness |  |  **Hong Yun-seong**  
Age: 18 [Soulcalibur II-IV]  
Birthplace: Jirisan, Korea  
Height: 5'9"  
Weight: 150 lbs.  
Birth Date: April 16  
Blood Type: O  
Weapon: Chinese Sword  
Weapon Name: White Storm  
Discipline: Seong Style Long Sword + Natural Footwork  
Family: Father / Died from illness  
Mother / Whereabouts unknown  
Master / Seong Han-myeong  
---|---|---|---  
  
#### Seong Mi-na

[[profile on the Soulcalibur wiki](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/Seong_Mi-na)]

Seong Mi-na is the tomboy daughter of the master of a martial arts dojo, Seong Han-myeong. She is 16 years old at the beginning of the game series. Important to her story and the story of Korean characters in the _Soulcalibur_ games more generally is the background that, during the time period when the games are set, Japan was [conducting a series of expansionist invasions of the Korean peninsula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasions_of_Korea_\(1592%E2%80%931598\)). In the games, a coast guard was formed in order to defend against these naval raids, and Mi-na, skilled in the use of what is called a naginata in Japanese (incorrectly called a "zanbatou" in earlier games) but a woldo in Korean, tried to join but was denied due to being a woman. In the first game, _Soul Edge_ , she heard about Soul Edge, known as the "Sword of Salvation," and decided to prove herself by seeking out the sword that might save her country. In the second game, _Soulcalibur_ , she again runs away from home, again wanting to protect her country and also tired of receiving marriage proposals she has no interest in.

Mi-na's key interactions in the first two games of the series, _Soul Edge_ and _Soulcalibur_ , are with Hwang Seong-gyeong, a star pupil of her father's who he would like to adopt and make his successor, preferably by marrying him to Mi-na (the [mukoyoushi trope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukoy%C5%8Dshi)). The first two games feature Hwang finding Mi-na after she's run away from home and bringing her back, often with a fair amount of romantic tension.

However, starting from _Soulcalibur II_ , Hwang was unexpectedly largely cut from the games, and his place on the main roster was replaced with Hong Yun-seong. The next three games feature interactions between Mi-na and Yun-seong, which will obviously be the focus of this manifesto but Hwang is a key character to both of their stories.

Personality-wise, I would describe Mi-na as overall cheerful and playful. She is rebellious and headstrong, sometimes to the point of biting off more than she can chew, like when she challenged Ivy to a duel and lost. Her sense of humor and desire to escape from the controlling aspects of her father give her somewhat of an immature vibe, which contrasts a lot with the more serious and mature Hwang but largely meshes with the brash, cocky Yun-seong.

Prior to using the [revised romanization of Korean](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Romanization_of_Korean) names, she was called **Seung Mina**.[1]

#### Hong Yun-seong

[[profile on the Soulcalibur wiki](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/Hong_Yun-seong)]

Hong Yun-seong is another promising student of Seong Han-myeong, who has always been somewhat obsessed with Hwang. When he was younger, this obsession manifested as a kind of hero worship/admiration, but as he got older, it manifested as a desire to surpass Hwang, to prove himself by challenging Hwang to a duel and winning. When he does get the chance to challenge Hwang, however, the serious and dutiful Hwang declines as his priorities are focused on defending Korea from the Japanese threat.

Yun-seong sulks, and Mi-na gives him one of the Seong family heirlooms, a sword called White Storm that is supposed to possess the ability to reflect the heart/deepest thoughts of its wielder. Yun-seong studies the sword, realizes how selfish he was being by trying to gratify his own desires when their country is in crisis, and realizes that the best way to achieve his desires is to go searching for the "Sword of Salvation" (which, after all, Hwang himself had failed to find) that might turn the tide. So he runs away from home (hm, that sounds familiar), taking White Storm with him. Mi-na, realizing her mistake in giving the treasure to Yun-seong, pursues him to bring him and the sword back (also sounds familiar).

Along his journey, Yun-seong and Mi-na do end up meeting and traveling together, but before that happens, he spends a while traveling with another new character introduced in _Soulcalibur II_ , Talim. Yun-seong and Talim have fairly significant interaction, but I will largely not go into it in this manifesto.

As his journey continues, both Mi-na and Hwang discover the true nature of the "Sword of Salvation" AKA Soul Edge, namely that it is a demonic sword of evil. They and Talim all try to warn/stop Yun-seong from pursuing it further, but he basically doesn't listen, stubbornly insisting on verifying the truth of Soul Edge's nature for himself.

Personality-wise, Yun-seong is cocky and confident, energetic and always raring for a fight. He is very much a Red Oni character compared to Hwang's Blue Oni. One of his signature win poses is that he lies down on the ground and says, "I hardly broke a sweat!" Like Mi-na, he lacks some amount of maturity, especially when compared to Hwang. Unlike Mi-na, however, he is much more driven by the desire for power, continuing to pursue Soul Edge even when warned about its evil nature. (It's a bit ambiguous whether Yun-seong on some level _does_ know it's evil and just doesn't care, or if he has convinced himself that the sword is not evil and that's why he continues to pursue it.)

Prior to using the revised romanization of Korean names, he was called **Yunsung**.

### Mi-na and Yun-seong: the core dynamic

Yun-seong's backstory and Mi-na's "destined battle" (penultimate fight) cutscene in _Soulcalibur II_ \-- which I'll go into in more detail in the next section -- establish their dynamic very quickly. They have a very playful, familiar relationship, and they also care about each other, as seen in the way Mi-na notices Yun-seong's sulking and tries to cheer him up. Yun-seong and Mi-na's stories mirror each other; whereas she ran away to seek Soul Edge to prove herself to her sexist father/society, Yun-seong did the same in order to prove himself to Hwang. Mi-na is found and retrieved by the older, more serious Hwang (nine years her senior), while Yun-seong is found and retrieved by the older but still quite immature Mi-na (five years his senior), who knows what it's like to be in his place.

Yun-seong possesses a jealousy of and desire to surpass Hwang that, given Hwang's latent romantic relationship with Mi-na / Seong Han-myeong's failed attempts to bring Hwang into the family via marriage, could easily double / be read as a latent romantic interest in Mi-na herself.

Ages, age differences, and (im)maturity are key aspects to this pairing. Mi-na seems to me someone who acts a little bit younger than her age, while Yun-seong seems to me someone who is just attention-seeking enough to enjoy receiving the attention of someone older than him.

Even though Mi-na and Yun-seong have significant interactions in most of the games they're in, some that read to me as overtly shippy, my experience in this fandom is that the people who ship it are few and far between. One reason for this may be because early games established a budding Mi-na/Hwang romance. While this plotline has been somewhat sidelined, many people became attached to this ship first. In addition, Yun-seong and Talim were introduced together in the same game, where they traveled together and were both each other's "destined battle," so I can see how Mi-na/Hwang and Yun-seong/Talim may have seemed the obvious pairings. However, the next few games oddly enough don't really push those two pairings, instead opting for developing Mi-na and Yun-seong's relationship. But this change in direction seems to have had little effect on fandom.

The other major reason it seems like fandom generally isn't into the Mi-na/Yun-seong pairing is that a lot of people either mistakenly thought they were siblings or still do think they come off as having a sibling-like dynamic and wouldn't see each other in a romantic light. The first thing probably stems from the fact that (1) the description the announcer uses to introduce Mi-na in _Soulcalibur III_ is "Her quest to save her brethren drives her onward," and I think people interpreted "save her brethren" as "save Yun-seong" and assumed they were brother and sister, and (2) Yun-seong's _Soulcalibur IV_ story mode describes Yun-seong as crossing paths "with his kinswoman Mi-na." For the first one, "brethren" literally means "brothers" not "brother" and almost certainly refers to her fellow countrymen in this context i.e. she is driven by her desire to save Korea from invasion. For the second one, this seems to be a translation of "aneki-bun," referring to someone who a person regards as like an older sister (the corresponding "otouto-bun"/"like a younger brother to her" appears in Mi-na's story). I'm not sure whether this is referring to an especially close relationship that Yun-seong and Mi-na share, or referring to the way a martial arts school might generally create these kinds of relationships.

In any case, though, Yun-seong and Mi-na are not blood related. This is corroborated by background information like the fact that Mi-na doesn't have siblings (especially not male siblings, hence why her father is trying to marry her off to his preferred heir), Mi-na and Yun-seong have different family names, and protecting one's countrymen is a major motivating factor in all of the Korean characters' stories throughout the series.

Setting that aside, there is still the issue that their dynamic explicitly is compared to that of siblings and it certainly comes off as platonic and sibling-like to a lot of people. I hope that my manifesto makes clear the potential in these two characters' relationship, both shippy and otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] A brief note on yet another potentially confusing aspect of the Korean characters' names in these games: Seong Mi-na's official name (as in, the name listed on the character roster, what shows up below her life bar, how the narrator introduces her, etc.) is always Seong Mi-na (her full name: family name + given name). By contrast, Hong Yun-seong is referred to by the game by his given name only (Yun-seong), and Hwang Seong-gyeong is referred to by his family name only (Hwang)... In this manifesto, I will just refer to Mi-na and Yun-seong by their given names and Hwang by his family name (as all characters refer to him this way).


	3. Canon Interactions

### Canon Interactions

First, a note about cutscenes and character endings here: _Soulcalibur_ is a fighting game, so each character has their own story and ending. These stories and endings often contradict each other and you don't know which ending is "real" until the next game comes out and confirms what happened in between the two games (which may incorporate elements from multiple characters' endings or be newly created). So none of the cutscenes or endings here are necessarily canon as in they happened in the "true" timeline of the game. You can see them as explorations or "what ifs" that _could_ happen in this universe but may not have actually happened.

#### Soulcalibur II

  * The first significant interaction here is in Yun-seong's in-game bio/profile, where it states that: 

> Seong Mi-na, the master's daughter, saw the brooding young man and handed him a single-handed sword. The weapon she handed to Yun-seong was a Seong family heirloom. According to the legend, it possessed the ability to reflect the deepest thoughts of those who held the blade.

Mi-na noticed his low mood and gave him an heirloom because she thought it might help him.
  * The second significant interaction is Mi-na's short destined battle cutscene with Yun-seong. You can watch it [here](https://youtu.be/iPP7cTX8-_w?t=1117). It starts with Mi-na sneaking up on Yun-seong to poke him in the back, which almost causes him to lose his balance and fall off an edge. 

> Mi-na: I finally found you! Go home and leave Soul Edge to me!  
>  Yun-seong: No, no, let young people handle it.

This interaction, though very brief, sets up some interesting parts of their dynamic: the fact that Mi-na pranks Yun-seong, commands him around like he is a child, and that Yun-seong gives back by responding humorously with a jab at her age. Mi-na's [ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8geHT9mB9Jo) features her returning home with Yun-seong in tow, carrying all their stuff, something that will be repeated in the next game.
  * The third significant interaction is buried deep in the museum. In _Soulcalibur_ games, characters usually have multiple weapons and those weapons often have written descriptions. Among these are "joke weapons" that are weak and a bit silly, often making odd sound effects. Yun-seong's joke weapon in _Soulcalibur II_ (and _III_ ) is the Child's Sword. Its [description](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/Child%27s_Sword): 

> A sword that Seong Mina once gave to Yun-seong. Upon close examination, the words "For little kids" have been engraved onto an inconspicuous place. In other words, she'd been treating him like a child when she gave it to him. It is completely ineffective as a weapon, but perhaps it will cause opponents to let down their guard.

Here again Mi-na's pranking nature and treatment of Yun-seong as a kid make their appearance. 



#### Soulcalibur III

  * The first main interaction here is [Yun-seong's ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXsLHMC_bWo). In his ending, Yun-seong reaches Soul Edge and tries to grasp it but there is a surge of energy and he recoils, dropping White Storm. In _Soulcalibur III_ , each character has two endings: a bad "no input" ending and a better "input" ending. For Yun-seong, if you don't press the input in time, the default is a more serious ending: he looks to his right at White Storm first and picks up the sword. The sword reflects back his true self, possessed by Soul Edge, which knocks Yun-seong to his senses and gives him the conviction to destroy Soul Edge. He is next seen walking alone, having a moment of self-realization where (I think?) he realizes his reasons for searching for Soul Edge were impure/power-hungry and he needs to search for strength in a better way. 

By contrast, his input ending is a joke-y one: if instead of looking right toward his dropped sword, he looks left... he sees... a basket of bao...? What? What are these doing here? As he studies the out-of-place object, the answer is revealed when Mi-na sneaks up on him and knocks him out with the hilt of her weapon. As he loses consciousness, she says, "You know, you still have a long way to go!" The next you see of them, Yun-seong is burdened with a bunch of packs and Mi-na is driving him forward as a lesson for pursuing Soul Edge. Cue slide whistle. (Note: This particular ending is compatible with/potentially leads directly into Mi-na's.)

  * The next main interaction here is [Seong Mi-na's ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-mepELXRsE). It starts off with Mi-na walking home unencumbered while behind her Yun-seong carries all of their stuff. She stops when she gets the idea that she and Yun-seong should entertain themselves on the way home by getting in some training. Mi-na's ending is unique in that it requires multiple inputs to be pressed in time to get her input ending. If you fail an input, Mi-na screws up her duel with Yun-seong and loses, which means that _she_ ends up having to be the one carrying the bags, much to her annoyance. 

If you succeed on all the inputs, the full duel plays out, which Mi-na seemingly effortlessly wins. In the next scene, Mi-na teases Yun-seong for his inexperience and it's revealed that now, in addition to carrying all the packs, Yun-seong has to also carry Mi-na on his back.

I absolutely love the full duel. Let me list the ways: First, friendly duels between skilled warriors is, like, my jam -- better than porn. I love Mi-na and Yun-seong's friendly competition. Second, Mi-na's playfulness is on full display here, with how happy and energized she is throughout the duel. Third, the fight choreography is great. Finally, this scene really reinforces the age differences with an older and more mature Mi-na like an experienced teacher pushing Yun-seong to catch up to her level. (Alternatively, losing the duel is incredibly embarrassing for her in more ways than one!)

  * There is also this [Yun-seong concept art](https://soulcalibur.fandom.com/wiki/File:SC3-Yun-1P.jpg) featuring a sketch of Mi-na berating(?) Yun-seong, who has a cocky sort of expression on his face.



Both scenes in this game illustrate Mi-na and Yun-seong's playful, close relationship which can come off either as flirtatious or as very close friends with a sibling-like relationship.

#### Soulcalibur IV

  * Yun-seong's [story mode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75xTEvDTJYk) in this game starts off with Mi-na, Talim, and even Hwang all warning Yun-seong that Soul Edge is evil, but he still wants to find out for himself. He leaves Mi-na and Talim behind, but eventually they catch up to him and Mi-na joins him on his journey to find Soul Edge. When Yun-seong does eventually find Nightmare, defeats him, and claims Soul Edge, his ending plays out [[Japanese audio low-quality video](https://youtu.be/g1ksIWLNsm0), [English audio better quality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2W8-Qc0HAM)]. Initially it starts out as the darkest ending so far, with Yun-seong claiming Soul Edge and immediately going down a path of darkness by choking Mi-na and despairing over her limp body. But just kidding! It's a joke ending again -- she's not dead. As he carries her piggyback out of the tower, they trade humorous jabs: 

> Yun-seong: So, why were you playing possum like that?  
>  Mi-na: Oh, be quiet! I just passed out for a second.

... and then proceed to laugh. The scene ends with two lines of epilogue: 

> He acquired something much more important than power. He will now return home, much older than he was before.

  * Mi-na's [story mode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd1EtBsYA1c) begins similarly to Yun-seong's: 

> She thought about Yun-seong, who had been like a younger brother to her. He must still be searching for Soul Edge, ignorant of the truth she had just learned. She had to find him and warn him!
> 
> In Istanbul, the city where East meets West, Mi-na found Yun-seong. She admonished him, "Soul Edge is an evil power that brings only disaster. There's no way that thing will save our country!" It had been some time since Yun-seong had been subjected to Mi-na's scolding, and while he listened to her without voicing dissent, his face clearly showed he felt otherwise. By the next morning, he had disappeared. 
> 
> Mi-na shook her head in disgust. Then Talim, the young girl with whom Yun-seong had traveled, spoke to her, "He's headstrong, but a good person. In the end, I'm sure he'll make the right decision." As she listened to what Talim said, Mi-na could tell Yun-seong's journey had matured him.

Like in Yun-seong's story, she chases after him to prevent him from claiming Soul Edge. However, here, she largely travels with Talim, who informs her of Soulcalibur, Soul Edge's opposite. After defeating Algol, Mi-na claims Soulcalibur, but not quick enough to prevent Yun-seong from claiming Soul Edge. 

Her ending [[Japanese audio low-quality video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMgkmDVQUxk), [English audio better quality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyYfZ4PYmVE)] plays out a little differently. Yun-seong still gets possessed by Soul Edge and tries to kill Mi-na, viewing her as an enemy, but here Mi-na and Yun-seong duel, another iteration of Soulcalibur and Soul Edge clashing with each other in their eternal struggle. The scene ends with Mi-na smiling and saying, "Come, it's time to teach you one final lesson!" The end of the duel is not revealed, but the epilogue states, "When she finally settled everything, she returned home with a smile." Presumably, she won and Yun-seong is not dead.




Both endings feature Yun-seong becoming possessed by Soul Edge. Additionally, Mi-na's ending adds the fact that she might, in contrast to Yun-seong, be more drawn to Soulcalibur, and also reinforces the dynamic present in previous games of Mi-na as a teacher/coach who gives Yun-seong lessons and is confident she could beat him in a one-on-one fight if the situation demanded it.

#### Soulcalibur V

Mi-na and Yun-seong (and also Hwang and Talim) are all not in this game, which takes place 17 years after _Soulcalibur IV_. Booooo. The artbook for this game, _New Legends of Project Soul_ , only mentions that the Korean admiral [Yi Sun-sin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Sun-sin) recalled Mi-na, Yun-seong, and Hwang back to Korea and asked them to train the next generation of warriors. How these characters' storylines ended up resolving is basically very unclear (no canon resolution/pairings).

#### Soulcalibur VI

 _Soulcalibur VI_ retells the story of _Soulcalibur_ with some more detail. Mi-na's story mode thus focuses on her relationship with Hwang. You can check it out [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDvxh0v7_hA) although it's not very relevant to this manifesto. Hwang is not (yet?) a playable main character but he has a portrait and a model so I think it is very likely he will be released as a DLC character in the future. The main characterization note here is how much Mi-na's immaturity plays a role in her story. She reflects on her temper tantrums, her misunderstandings, etc. regretting how immature she was and reflecting on how much she had grown on her journey. And it ends with Mi-na trying to defuse some awkward romantic tension between her and Hwang by asking him for a piggyback ride, which puzzles Hwang as in the past she had said she had outgrown them.

As far as Yun-seong and Mi-na go, there are a couple of things I've found so far:

  * Yun-seong gets a hat-tip in Libra of Soul, in [a sidequest involving Mi-na](https://youtu.be/Dg2grl6nZL4?t=2733). She invites the main character (the Conduit, a self-insert sort of character you create) to train at her father's dojang, then gets the idea to fire up the students by having the Conduit pretend to be a challenger insulting the dojang's honor. 

> Man Going First: So you're the fool that's picking a fight with our dojang, huh? You don't know who you're messing with!  
>  Woman Going Second: Hmph. S/he doesn't look so tough. We don't need to bother Lady Mi-na with this one.  
>  Man Going Third: Yeah, that's right! We're more than enough to handle this fool!  
>  Man Going Fourth: Time to see what you're made of!  
>  Seong Mi-na: Wait a minute... Where's Yun-seong? I don't see him anywhere.  
>  Woman Going Second: Yeah, about him... He's obsessed with Master Hwang, so it looks like he's not interested in defending the dojang's honor...  
>  Man Going Third: Even though you asked him to join us, he mentioned something about there being no point in joining if Master Hwang wasn't going to be there, then went off somewhere.  
>  Man Going Fourth: He probably snuck his way back into the coast guard again. Does anyone over there even care anymore?  
>  Seong Mi-na: You're kidding me... If there's anyone I wanted here, it's him... Oh well.

This reinforces just how monofocused Yun-seong is on Hwang, and also that Mi-na does tend to pay special attention to Yun-seong, among her father's students.
  * Once you complete that sidequest, it unlocks an entry about Yun-seong in the Museum's Character Compendium: 

> A Joseon patriot and disciple of the legendary warrior Seong Han-myeong, Hong Yun-seong is the nephew of the famous second captain of the coast guard, Hong Gil-jong. Despite his youth, his natural talent has caught the eye of many of his elders—including Han-myeong—and they expect great things from him. Hong ideolizes Hwang Seong-gyeong, star pupil of the dojang and national hero, and he occasionally slips away to sneak into coast guard bases and observe his idol putting the recruits through their paces. His overly active and somewhat abrasive personality often troubles his seniors and elders. However, he appears to have a special bond with Han-myeong's only duaghter, Seong Mi-na. Her words alone can tame his wild spirit... usually, anyway. While it may seem that Mi-na strong-arms Hong into doing whatever she says, anyone familiar with the two know that there is far more to their relationship than that. Friends of the pair do their best to hide knowing smiles whenever they watch the two dynamic youths interact.

Interesting stuff here. Yun-seong, despite not being in the game, actually gets a fair amount of fleshing out regarding his family, his Hwang obsession, and his dynamic with Mi-na. And that relationship description... I'm not saying it's shippy but it sure does throw my shippy heart a bone, and it's the most shippy write-up of their relationship I've seen.

  * Third, _Soulcalibur VI_ contains various unlockable image galleries collecting concept art and illustrations from previous games in the series. The _Soulcalibur III_ gallery contains this lovely picture, which I have never before seen! Maybe this should go in the _Soulcalibur III_ section as it was clearly created for that game but I don't think this art has been seen before its inclusion in _Soulcalibur VI_ 's museum.  
  






	4. The Case for Shipping

### The Case for Shipping

Now that I've reviewed Mi-na and Yun-seong's canon interactions, I will lay out the case why their relationship is deserving of attention and exploration.

#### 1\. Mirroring storylines

There are a lot of similarities between Mi-na and Yun-seong's storylines, involving impulsively running away from home in search of Soul Edge, going on a journey, maturing, and then being brought back by someone who they view as akin to an older sibling.

Their similar experiences provides opportunities for bonding, heart-to-heart talks, etc.

#### 2\. Pranking relationship

The playful relationship filled with pranks (such as Mi-na's poking, gag gifts, etc.), bets (such as the bet about who would carry the packs that seems to be implicitly a part of the duel in Mi-na's _SC3_ ending), and teasing makes Mi-na/Yun-seong ripe for all sorts of shippy hijinks. The consequences of losing a bet? Or of a prank that gets out of hand? A joke comment taken seriously, or a serious comment interpreted as a joke?

Mi-na and Yun-seong clearly have a close, familiar relationship, which means making them frequently interact is easy to justify and not at all difficult to imagine.

#### 3\. Interesting relationships with Hwang

Both Mi-na and Yun-seong have complicated relationships with Hwang, and he plays a special role in their lives.

For Mi-na, Hwang has not accepted her father's proposal to marry her (due to his focus on the invasions), but he is the person Han-myeong would most like to betroth Mi-na to. So Hwang, of all her father's students, is a quasi-fiancé to Mi-na. While Hwang is probably attracted to her, he is so buttoned-down and stoic emotionally and places such priority on serving his country first that it's hard to tell. As a result, Mi-na has a very complicated relationship with Hwang, where he's clearly a potential love interest but a somewhat distant and disinterested one. To add to this, Mi-na doesn't particularly want to get married, but perhaps she does want Hwang to at least acknowledge her (show romantic interest in her). Or perhaps they mutually just aren't interested in each other romantically, while marriage is nonetheless hanging over their heads.

For Yun-seong, Hwang is both a role model/hero and a rival. Yun-seong wants very badly to be recognized by Hwang, but it's that somewhat childish desire that puts Hwang (a very selfless, serious, mature person) and Yun-seong (self-absorbed and immature) on very different levels. Mirroring the way that Hwang turned down a betrothal to Mi-na because he was focused on saving his country, Hwang _also_ turns down a duel with Yun-seong for the exact same reason.

These relationships with Hwang provide fertile ground for developing awkward dynamics between Mi-na and Yun-seong. Imagine, for example, how the Yun-seong/Hwang dynamic might change if Mi-na and Hwang did get married. Or which side Mi-na would root for if Hwang and Yun-seong did have a duel. You can imagine a scenario where Hwang's stoicness might cause Mi-na to seek Yun-seong's emotiveness as a contrast. And both Mi-na and Yun-seong might independently have reasons to sleep with each other in order to make Hwang jealous. There is so much potential here!

#### 4\. Age differences

Mi-na is five years older than Yun-seong, and as you can see from various interactions such as Yun-seong's _SC3_ input ending or Mi-na's _SC3_ and _SC4_ endings, Mi-na has a relationship to Yun-seong like a more experienced mentor/coach/teacher, viewing him as behind her in progress and needing to catch up / still green and in need of training. Yun-seong's cockiness is unlikely to accept this, and a friendly competitiveness is the result.

This age difference and particular dynamic provides lots of room for exploration. For example, Mi-na has always treated Yun-seong as a child (see the Child's Sword description). It would be interesting to explore when and how this might change, and the awkwardness involved in such a change. The age difference and treatment as child is begging for an "oh my god, you've grown up" moment that serves simultaneously as character development and romantic epiphany.

At the same time, Mi-na is not very mature for her age which gives an illusion of her and Yun-seong being closer in age than they really are. This also provides some interesting opportunities for awkwardness. You can imagine a modern AU mapping of Mi-na to a young, cool teacher that high school boys develop crushes on, for example, where being on similar wavelengths in terms of maturity is in tension with a fairly large age difference.

#### 5\. Martial arts mentorship

As I mentioned in the canon evidence section, the dynamic that Mi-na and Yun-seong have is that she is a teacher / more experienced fighter who views Yun-seong as behind her/not yet on her level. There's a lot of interesting possibilities to explore here. Yun-seong clearly idolizes and wants to reach/surpass Hwang's level, but does not seem to acknowledge Mi-na as a milestone to surpass in the same way. Why? Is this related to gender? To the fact that Mi-na is trained in a different martial art (the woldo) as opposed to Yun-seong and Hwang (both trained in Chinese dao)? To unspoken reasons why Yun-seong might want to surpass Hwang and become the star student of the dojo, perhaps?

In any case, Mi-na and Yun-seong have a fun dynamic to play around with here, where Mi-na can be bossy, smug, or condescending in her interactions with Yun-seong, or Yun-seong winning a duel can turn the tables and lead to a smug, cocky Yun-seong and a humiliated, embarrassed Mi-na throwing a temper tantrum.

Themes of superiority/inferiority and strength/weakness play a big role in Yun-seong's character, while themes of maturity/immaturity and adult/child play a big role in both, and those themes can easily be reflected in the dynamic between these two characters when it comes to martial arts mentorship and dueling.

#### 6\. Moving past a platonic dynamic

As mentioned, Mi-na and Yun-seong have a close platonic relationship and think of each other as akin to an older sister/younger brother. This provides plenty of opportunity for awkward pining. One or both characters could easily develop/realize that they have romantic feelings for the other, and this makes their normally quite close and casual relationship very awkward. Hugs become awkward. Platonic bed-sharing becomes awkward. Sibling-like barging-into-each-other's-rooms-without-knocking becomes awkward.

There's a lot of potential for angsty pining as one or both characters are convinced that the other doesn't see them in a romantic way, that they'll always be treated like a brother/sister, or guilt that they're ruining a great platonic relationship by having developed feelings.

#### 7\. Soul Edge corruption

Yun-seong's lust for power leading to him getting corrupted by Soul Edge is obviously a big motif in his storyline, especially in _SC3_ and _SC4_. This can lead to some interesting plots, like trying to break a loved one free from a curse, angst involving hurting the person you love, romance involving realizing feelings after almost losing the person you love, angst/romance involving being unaware of romantic feelings until Soul Edge magnifies them and twists them into something obsessive, and so on.

#### 8\. White Storm

In general, White Storm is quite a cool weapon and I feel like its power of being able to reflect the wielder's thoughts is interesting and potentially quite useful as a plot device.

White Storm can also function as a symbol of Mi-na and Yun-seong's connection. It is only in his possession because she gave it to him. The longer he owns it and the more he becomes attached to it, the more he feels like Mi-na is the one to thank for that bond.

As it is an heirloom of the Seong family, it should presumably go to a person who will become part of the Seong family. Giving it to a student therefore indicates some amount of favoritism. In particular, Mi-na giving White Storm to Yun-seong mirrors how Han-myeong gave Blue Storm (another heirloom) to Hwang, the person he wanted to inherit his dojo, in _Soul Edge_ (Hwang later returned this sword, miroring how he also declined Han-myeong's marriage proposal). While Mi-na did not intend for Yun-seong to run off with White Storm (it was a temporary loan), you can see how it could be seen as a symbolic accidental proposal on the part of Mi-na to Yun-seong (if you squint!).

#### 9\. Touching and physicality

As mentioned earlier, Mi-na and Yun-seong have a close, playful, platonic relationship. When you combine this with the fact that they're both martial artists who regularly train together, there's plenty of opportunity for regular casual touching: tackles, pins, throws, etc. Whereas I think Mi-na and Hwang's relationship is a bit more distant and formal where touching would be rare (which is interesting in its own way), Mi-na and Yun-seong's relationship is filled with training and sparring and rough-housing, which can be the springboard for some awkward moments of sexual tension.

#### 10\. Emotional immaturity and latent attraction

Both Mi-na and Yun-seong are emotionally immature, with Mi-na largely not interested in romance and deflecting discussions of it and Yun-seong just lacking emotional self-awareness in general. This can easily be the basis of a setup where they're both attracted to each other but neither of them realize it yet. There is potential for misunderstandings/stupid behavior but also growth and self-knowledge (maybe aided by White Storm).

#### 11\. Hunger and insecurity

I think I just like pairings where the guy has inferiority issues and is very hungry for advancement and acceptance, and it's easy to read that into Yun-seong's character. His idolization of Hwang (who has "made it" already), his desire to outstrip Hwang, his show-off, attention-seeking personality -- all these things could be read as wanting people to pay attention to him, wanting very badly to be seen and praised. There are therefore lots of opportunities to delve into Yun-seong's psychological issues, which can dovetail nicely with manipulation by Soul Edge (see point 7) and also with his close relationship with Mi-na, who not only is willing to spoil him a bit with attention but also maybe understands him and sees him in ways that most people do not (see point 1).

Alternatively, the fact that Mi-na sees/treats him as a child/younger brother might exacerbate Yun-seong's attention-seeking behavior and might be partially driving it.

### Conclusion

There are a variety of aspects that you can play with here, even if you view Mi-na and Yun-seong's dynamic to be rather sibling-like in nature. The YunMina pairing works well for friends-to-lovers stories with one-sided or mutual pining. Their interactions are, in my opinion, fun to write because they are so close and comfortable and loving with each other, but also full of light-hearted banter and teasing and competitiveness. The two characters give and take and are fairly evenly matched. Or if you want to play with power dynamics, there are dynamics that skew things in Mi-na's favor (since she is older, more experienced, and the daughter of Yun-seong's master).

But their relationship doesn't have to just be teasing and fluff. There's also plenty of potential for darker stories and emotions: Han-myeong's desire to arrange a marriage for Mi-na (either to someone not Yun-seong or to Yun-seong) could lead to some delicious romantic angst with feelings realized too late or pining in an arranged marriage. Jealousy and demon possession play a major role in Yun-seong's storyline, both of which provide plenty of opportunity for dark or angsty plotlines. The fact that Mi-na often doesn't take Yun-seong very seriously could be the foundation of an unhealthy relationship between the two where she bullies him and/or takes him for granted.

In any case, these two characters have a fascinating relationship and dynamic well worth exploring, and I hope I've made a case why people other than me should get on this pairing.


	5. Notable Fanworks

### Notable Fanworks

#### Fanart

  * [Mi-Na-Tsuki @ dA](https://www.deviantart.com/mi-na-tsuki/) also known as xuexueyuehua: A one-woman(?) fandom, I feel like Mi-Na-Tsuki is the lone, untiring fountain of nourishing YunMina content. Check out her dedicated [YM gallery](https://www.deviantart.com/mi-na-tsuki/gallery/49243972/ym). This is not even all the Mi-na/Yun-seong content she's generated as there are tons of older works she has not uploaded to DeviantArt! I do not know what drives Mi-Na-Tsuki to be this devoted to this pairing for so long, but I am so, so grateful for it.  
  
Anyway, my favorites of the works she's made are probably [Our way home I](https://www.deviantart.com/mi-na-tsuki/art/Our-way-home-I-448842444) (love the idea of these two on a road trip, and this art also features my favorite Mi-na outfit), [Our way home II](https://www.deviantart.com/mi-na-tsuki/art/Our-way-home-II-446354023) (they're so HAPPY), [The Seongs II](https://www.deviantart.com/mi-na-tsuki/art/The-Seongs-II-447651206) (I like Yun-seong's facial expression and pose here), and [The Seongs NSFW II](https://www.deviantart.com/mi-na-tsuki/art/The-Seongs-NSFW-II-450442580) [explicit].
  * [Art](https://denahi.tumblr.com/post/611037126681853952/redraw-2006-2020-its-my-sc-otp) by me.
  * A [three](https://www.deviantart.com/lazy2d/art/SoulCalibur-IV-Seong-Mi-Na-Yun-Seong-Part-1-654392493) [part](https://www.deviantart.com/lazy2d/art/Soulcalibur-IV-Seong-Mi-Na-Yun-Seong-Part-02-655810528) [series](https://www.deviantart.com/lazy2d/art/Soulcalibur-IV-Seong-Mi-na-Yun-Seong-Part-03-655866039) by Lazy2D @ dA
  * A pretty [SCVI Mi-na with Yun-seong lurking in the background](https://www.deviantart.com/misokrattz/art/Seong-Mina-SCVI-771574274) by MisoKrattz @ dA
  * [T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G](https://www.deviantart.com/masamuna/art/T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G-34391160) by masamuna @ dA (not exactly shippy but hey, they're interacting!!)
  * [Various](https://www.deviantart.com/ladymangatsugallia90/art/The-Ignorant-Redhead-104703821) [fanart](https://www.deviantart.com/ladymangatsugallia90/art/LuckyCalibur-Mi-Na-Yun-Seong2-102709696) [featuring](https://www.deviantart.com/ladymangatsugallia90/art/Valentine-Gift-3-109670809) Mi-na and Yun-seong by LadyMangatsuGallia90 @ dA
  * [Yun-seong's SC3 ending](https://www.deviantart.com/katrileo/art/Shhh-125257138) by Katrileo @ dA



#### Fanfiction

  * [Mistress and Student](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1712169/1/Mistress-and-Student) by Herofox @ FFN (1105 words, K+)  
A sweet romantic fic that starts from Mi-na's SC2 destined battle and goes from there. This captures the playfulness and pining potential of this couple.
  * [Criminals](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7834091/1/Criminals) by Amber Emmm @ FFN (2094 words, T)  
Mi-na drags Yun-seong into one of her schemes. I like this because it features Mi-na and Yun-seong getting up to pranks together and being silly and teasing, with some funny fake sexual innuendo at the beginning.
  * [Fifty 1-sentence YunMina fics](https://minilovely.livejournal.com/55005.html) by minilovely @ LJ and [another fifty](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23855092) by colorcoded @ AO3 (G to M rating)  
These are both really good illustrations of many of the dynamics I talked about in the previous chapter. The snippets are short, but helpful for understanding the Mi-na/Yun-seong dynamic.
  * [Kobukson: Turtle Ship](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2215358/1/Kobukson-Turtle-Ship) by HeartAke @ FFN (6472 words, T) [unfinished] [warning for graphic depictions of violence]  
Having failed to retrieve Soul Edge, Yun-seong instead goes to war against the Japanese, where he is badly routed and injured, and barely makes it back home alive. It's a shame this one isn't finished as the drama is intense!
  * [Scarlet Storm](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2960363/1/Scarlet-Storm) by Rinikittybabe (4439 words, T) [unfinished]  
This is mostly a retelling of Yun-seong and Mi-na's _SCII_ story mode. It was abandoned before much shippiness happened, but there are some interesting headcanons here about Mi-na and Yun-seong's relationship.
  * [Sparring Session](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17826221) by colorcoded @ AO3 (1251 words, E) [explicit]  
Mi-na and Yun-seong spar and things get heated. Features martial arts sparring as an excuse for lots of physicality and touching.
  * [That's What You Get... For Not Paying Attention](http://games.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600081625) by DigDug1984 @ AdultFanFiction.org [explicit, warning for identity issues dubcon]  
"Mina enjoys a night with her husband and lover. Too bad she didn't realize sooner they're not the same person." Pretty hot use of blindfolds, if you're OK with dubcon.



#### Fanvids

As far as I know, there aren't any fanvids of this couple. But The Owen is a game modder who swaps various _SCIII_ characters into other characters' endings, usually by request. The results can sometimes be shippy, or just gives some funny ideas.

  * Short videos:  
[Yun-seong with Xianghua's Ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fpIDsaBGbs)  
[Yun-seong with Cassandra's No-Input Ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ysbzq6x7cA)  
[Seong Mi-na and Yun-seong in the Demo Fight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNSM_NNoQx0)  
[Yun-seong with Maxi's Input Ending](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJbp2YGfgtM)
  * Long video:  
[Patriot Sword](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5491pS1C8-U). This is basically a fanfic in video form. It's a telling of Yun-seong and Mi-na's story but with Hwang and other novel elements also thrown in. 



### Conclusion

That's it for this ship manifesto. I hope you enjoyed perusing these fanworks and reading my thoughts on my two very pretty faves from this series. If you come across a fanwork you want to rec that isn't listed above, let me know and I'll add it. Thanks for reading!


End file.
